How does everybody do it?

Honestgoth

I'm having trouble controlling myself. Yes, you can say "stop eating" as much as you want, what I really am looking for here is encouragement, and suggestions. What do you guys do to keep yourselves from binging? I battle bulimia. The more I binge the harder it is to keep myself from purging, but I have to stop myself. At the same time I really need to lose weight, the right way. How do you convince yourselves to keep going when it's hard? Is there a particular book or tv show or youtube channel that encourages you to stick to it? Do you eat bigger or smaller meals early in the day? What about night time eating? What encourages you to work out?

I'm just looking for suggestions. Ways to motivate myself to keep it up. I want to lose weight so much. My goal right now is just to get under 200.

How do you motivate yourself?

MorbidMander

I find just having a friend (on this site) to talk to kind of helps my urge to over eat. I don't have an eating disorder or anything, but lately after I have eaten something sh*tty I do feel the need now to go purge it up, I think about it a lot. But have only done it once. I can only tell you what has helped me and that is having a person you can count on to talk to when you need to. Definitely helps. Feel free to add me if you need a buddy to speak to!!

roiLEI1554

if you binge then purge, it might not be anorexia but bulimia instead O:
i suggest talking to your doctor about this (if you haven't already)

there are plenty of help/support groups for eating disorders on here you can join!

personally, i've also gone through an eating disorder and i know personally how lasting the effects can be. as to how to get through it, i'm in the process of it myself even though it's been 2 years since my lowest weight. It's always a mental challenge, and each person has their own way of dealing with it.

good luck! and add me if you'd like (:

Honestgoth

pardon me, I meant to say bulimia! I don't know how I ended up saying anorexia. Yes, that's definitely my problem. Ironically it only became an issue after learning about it in health class in high school. -_- been fighting it ever since.

AggieFan2011

I definitely agree with the advice above me about finding a buddy. Having friends on the site is a great motivational tool. They are there to encourage me when I need it the most, and sometimes they do this without even knowing it.

Another thing that has helped me, especially with late night snacking, is looking through the success stories message board on MFP. It's so inspiring to read people's stories and see their pictures. I realize that if they can do it then I can do it too. A lot of times I get so wrapped up in looking at them that I forget I was even going to go in the kitchen to get something to snack on. Another helpful thing I've found is making a cup of hot green tea. It has zero calories and a lot of great health benefits, plus for me it tends to fight off the late night cravings. Lipton makes a decaf one with honey and lemon. It's really good!

In regards to your question about working out, that's something I still have a love/hate relationship with. I have definitely grown way more fond of working out and how it makes me feel since joining MFP a few months ago, but it is still not something that I always enjoy doing. For me it was just the initial step of finding a workout that worked for me and that I could somewhat enjoy doing. I really like the elliptical machine at the gym, and I have also found that jogging in place through my favorite tv shows or a quarter of a football game (if you enjoy watching sports) is a really easy way to get a workout in. Also, don't be discouraged about being out of shape and possibly not being able to workout for long periods of time. Everyone has to start somewhere. Once you get into the groove it will become part of your regular routine and you won't hate it so much... at least that worked for me.

I hope that I helped some! I don't think anyone has all of the answers but it's about figuring out what motivates and works for you and sticking with it. Good luck in your weight loss journey!

Honestgoth

Thank you! Actually going through the success stories is a really good idea! Heh, I think I'll do that now, actually.

Honestgoth

darn I was really hoping for more suggestions on this. I've heard some people like to watch biggest loser. I guess that's pretty cool if you have cable/satelite/tv-at-all. I have netflix?

RobinC37

I struggled with bulimia all through high school and most of college, so I know where you're coming from!! The best thing I do is I eat 5-7 times a day, any time I get hungry. I just keep it ~200 calories each mini-meal, and MFP is great for calculating and tracking that. I'm never feel like I've overeaten so I don't get the urge to purge, and I never have to sit around hungry. I feel like it has also helped my metabolism recover from having an eating disorder, by constantly fueling the system. Feel free to add me if you want!

lahzay

I try to avoid buying snack foods, I find that if I don't have them in the house,I'm usually too lazy to go buy some more and make a proper meal instead! haha. As far as exercise goes, structure is really helpful to me. Doing something like the 30 day shred or month long program like c25k motivate me because I have to keep up with the schedule.

BecomingElle

Water!

Have a glass of water if you're hungry (sounds silly, but often we mistake thirst for hunger!). Still hungry? I carry a water bottle around with me and sip on it all day long, and it really fills you up. Have a glass before you snack, and before every meal. If you're still hungry, go for a healthy option first. If you don't want the healthy option, are you really hungry?

If you're reeeeally craving something, budget it into your daily count and only have one small serving! I feel that the more I deprive myself, the more I end up bingeing in the long run.

And I just want to give you the biggest congratulations for taking on your battle with bulimia... it's really destroyed some important people in my life and you're really doing the right thing by being here. You can do it!